English

English programmes at Palmerston North Girls’ High School aim to support students to become confident, independent learners who read widely, write and speak fluently, and enjoy challenges. All courses include reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing and presenting. Students learn to think critically and explore language in an environment that:

English is compulsory through to the end of Year 12. In the senior school, three English courses are offered at each level: English, English Plus and English Studies. These courses all offer NCEA achievement standards but cater for the learning needs of students of different abilities:

• Written and visual texts are studied in English and assessment is against both internal and external achievement standards.

• English Plus follows the same general structure as English but the texts studied are more demanding in order to prepare students for Scholarship. Students are selected into this course based on their achievement in the previous year’s course.

• Most of the assessment in English Studies is internal, with a particular emphasis on visual texts. Students are selected into this course on the basis of their previous results.